Build autonomous systems that think, act, and run anywhere, whilst also making a positive impact on the world.

At Hack for Impact, we’re challenging you to design agentic applications powered by open models, deployed on DGX Spark, pushing the limits of local-first intelligence, orchestration, and real-world utility, all whilst leveraging the latest open source models.

NVIDIA is bringing the Hack for Impact series to Sheffield in recognition of the talent and innovation in the region. This event brings together frontier builders, applied ML engineers, systems thinkers, and startup teams to explore what’s possible when agentic AI meets high-performance local compute.

In collaboration with our hardware sponsor, Scan Computers, every team will be provided with a DGX Spark™, powered by the NVIDIA GB10 Grace Blackwell Superchip, to use throughout the day.

Don’t wait to apply - this hackathon is limited to around 80 developers. Once we reach capacity, additional applicants will be placed on a waitlist and notified if a spot becomes available.

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How to Participate

In-Person Attendance: You must be able to attend the event in person for the full day.
Team Size: Minimum 3 / maximum 5 members.
Priority: Complete team applications will be prioritised over individual applications. We highly encourage you to form and apply as a team.
Individuals: If you apply as an individual, we will do our best to match you with a team. If accepted, you will be required to compete with your assigned team.
Application Deadline: 31 October 2026. Applications received after this date will be reviewed subject to availability.

The following prizes will be awarded by the judging panel:

  1. 1x DGX Spark
  2. NVIDIA Brev Cloud Credits
  3. Nebius Inference Credits

Submissions will be evaluated on: 

  • Impact: Does the solution address a real problem? 
  • Technical execution: How well does it leverage agentic AI and local compute? 
  • Feasibility: Could this realistically be built or deployed beyond the hackathon?

The judging panel will include representatives from NVIDIA, Scan, and Pendo, alongside invited guests from the Sheffield tech and startup ecosystem.

Each track below describes a theme of impact, not the scope of your idea. Teams are free to build any solution that delivers against one of these themes.

Public datasets are available if useful, including the Sheffield City Council Open Data portal (and its Sheffield Local Insight neighbourhood indicators), alongside national sources like data.gov.uk and the ONS. Teams are not required to use any particular data source.

  1. Economic Systems
    • Focus: Improving how money flows through businesses, workers, and markets.
    • The Goal: Build agentic systems that help individuals and organisations make better economic decisions, unlock opportunities, or optimise costs.
  2. Public Services
    • Focus: Enhancing how people access and interact with public services and resources.
    • The Goal: Use data to build tools that simplify navigation of public systems, making essential services more accessible, efficient, and user-friendly.
  3. Urban Operations
    • Focus: Optimising how cities run, from large-scale infrastructure to everyday life.
    • The Goal: Develop systems that improve how cities function behind the scenes and in real time.

Startup teams are encouraged to explore the NVIDIA Inception program — a free program designed to support AI startups with technical resources, go-to-market support, and access to the NVIDIA ecosystem. Learn more at nvidia.com/inception. 

Sponsors

Event Details

Please register to see the exact location of this event. 

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